Newbie - Toshiba 65H82 Owner (1 Viewer)

[KurtG]

Hey guys. I am receiving my first big screen tomorrow, a 65H82 and just had a few questions.

1. Is there anything I should know about setting this up? I plan on getting the Avia disk for calibration but is there anything else I should be aware of?

2. Those of you who own this set, what are your opinions? Since this is my first venture into this world I am a litte anxious/concerned that I made the right purchase.

3. I have Comcast Digital Cable and from what I read the picture isn't that great, but is it at least going to be better than my old 32" Zenith?

Thanks for the info. Feel free to offer any other advice you may have. I am a little lost when it comes to this but I'm trying to catch up as soon as possible.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Kirt. Welcome to HTF!

(I'm going to move this post to the "Televisions" fourm for more experienced responses.)

My advice is:

- Fire up the unit while the guys are still there. Use the menu system to turn down the brightness as the out-of-box setting is called "torch mode". This is to help the unit stand out on a showroom floor.

- Turn the unit on and try to run it for several hours each day. If these things die, they usually do it in the first few hours of use. You want this to happen as soon as possible.

- Go ahead an do a rough calibration with Avia. But you will need to repeat the calibration after the first 100 hours or so. The optics/mechanics will have settled in by then.

- Before you calibrate, make sure to leave the set on for 30 minutes for everything to warm up.

- The Toshiba's have a good reputation. Enjoy.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Welcome to HTF, Kurt. I think you might get more responses in this section. The Toshiba contingent is big here!

• As far as your cable signal goes: Chances are your RPTV will magnify the flaws because it is so much better than your old direct-view Zenith/

• That set deserves a professional grayscale calibration, so you might want to plan on that not too long from now.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

I second all of the above and recommend to get the Comcast HDTV box as soon as it is available in your area. My Mom got a 50H82 and the Comcast HD box last week and the picture is amazing! Only HBO, NBC, ABC and PBSHD (a demo channel) so far, but well worth the extra $2 a month. I could sit and watch the PBSHD channel for hours, it blew me away. There was one show on the Phillip's Art Gallery in DC, modern art from Renoir to present day, all in HDTV - Stunning!

Me, I have to wait for Cox Communications to get HDTV, which will coincide with hockey rinks in hell.

 

[Alan M]

Congratulations Kurt on your 65h82.I own the same set and it does need to be calibrated with avia.
When I 1st got my set home ,I wasnt very happy with my purchase.After calibration with avia and a week of veiwing for the set to settle,I was absolutely stunned and amazed at just how great the PQ from dvd's and hd tv.Four months later,I'm getting close to the magic 100 hour mark and the PQ just gets better and better.
Give the set a chance to settle in and congrats again.

 

[KurtG]

What modes do you watch your Toshiba in.

Specifically:

Cable:
DVD:
VHS:

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Cable - For 4:3 broadcasts - Theater Wide 3
For Widescreen broadcasts - Theater Wide 2
For HDTV - Natural

DVD - Full, with my RP91 doing the scaling for non-anamorphic and 4:3.

Before my RP91 - 4:3 - Natural (Normal on the old models)
Non-anamorphic - Theater Wide 2
Anamorphic - Full

VHS - What's that????

Note - All except the cable on Theater Wide 3 presents the material in OAR (or original broadcast) format. You will see bars on 2.35:1 DVD's and bars on the side of 4:3 DVD's. This is normal!! The reason I watch cable in TW3 is because I don't put the same OAR requirements on TV that I do on DVD's. Please no hypocrite arguments, it's just not important to me to see Bill O'Reilly or the Red Sox in OAR.

 

[Jeff Ashforth]

I have the 57H82 and I put a hundred hours on that sucker in the first week!!!! It's true that the picture gets better and better over time. Just be sure to check your settings with AVIA at 50, 100, and maybe 200 hours or so.

The modes I use depend on the Aspect ratio of the source material.

CABLE TELEVISION
4:3 - Theaterwide 1: I find this stretch mode better than having the gray bars on the sides.

Letterbox - Theaterwide 2: This is the same mode you use for non-anamorphic DVD's or Laserdiscs or widescreen VHS.

DVD

Anamorphic Widescreen - Full

Non-Anamorphic - Theaterwide 2

4:3 - Theaterwide 1

VHS

Same as Cable.

I will be looking into an HD set top box when I move in June but as of now, I've never seen a HD picture on my TV so I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Alan M]

Well Kurt,seeing as I dont have cable,I use directv sat.My modes I use are:

sat:theaterwide 1(seems like less distortion)
sat hd: natural
dvds: full for anamorphic
theaterwide 2 for 4x3
vhs:havent watched a vhs in dont know how long.
broadcast hd:natural


Good luck and happy tweaking